AEW Collision – October 3, 2026: The ROH Problem

Collision
Date: October 3, 2026
Location: Truist Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Paul Wight

We’re done with All Out and rapidly closing in on Wrestledream, with the schedule being a bit crunched because of the Pac tribute show from earlier this week. That should make for a bigger Collision here, as they don’t have a lot of time to waste with just two weeks before the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

Kofi is excited to be here and can’t wait to get going. Lee Moriarty says he’s been Pure Champion for 799 days and wants more respect. Kofi doesn’t get what’s wrong with him.

Kofi vs. Lee Moriarty

Non-title and Austin Creed is on commentary. Moriarty spins out of a hammerlock to start and we’re at a standoff. They trade a crossarm choke and Moriarty takes him over to the ropes for the break. Kofi sends him to the floor and teases a dive but bounces off of the ropes instead.

Back in and a leg lariat gives Kofi two but Moriarty plants him with a running DDT and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Moriarty bridges back on his neck and mocks Kofi as we take a break. We come back with Moriarty hitting a backdrop but getting knocked off the top. A tornado DDT and dropkick have Moriarty in trouble until he pulls Kofi into a triangle choke. That’s broken up and Kofi tries a springboard….I think crucifix driver but completely misses.

Instead Moriarty gets in a suplex so Kofi kicks him down and drops the double leg. Trouble In Paradise misses and Moriarty pulls him into a Border City Stretch. Kofi makes it over to the rope so Moriarty punches him in the head. Kofi’s choke has Moriarty in the rope, only for Moriarty to send Kofi head first into the buckle. A European clutch gives Moriarty two but Kofi is back up with Trouble In Paradise for the pin at 13:17.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was exactly what you would have expected, with two established talented guys getting to show what they could do. Moriarty can wrestle a technical match as well as anyone and Kofi is one of the most consistently successful stars of his generation. This was quite the opener and Kofi is quite a good addition to the roster.

We take a look at the Pac tribute show, which is still hard to see.

Commentary gives some thoughts on Pac, with McGuinness sounding close to breaking.

The Young Bucks talk about Pac and how helpful he was to them in Japan when they were starting out. You can hear the emotions here and Nick breaks down in tears.

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada at Grand Slam Paris, which was announced after All Out.

Commentary announces Clockwork Carnage, which is a rather complicated match involving eight wrestlers entering but possibly being eliminated until they’re all in. Once that is up, the remaining wrestlers have what is basically a fifteen minute Iron Man match and the most points win. So a Royal Rumble/Iron Man hybrid?

Conglomeration vs. Solorato/Griff Garrison

Garrison gets taken into the corner for some double chops as Wight pops back onto audio to yell at McGuinness for muting him. Cassidy gets more fired up than usual and hammers away with about twenty five right hands in the corner. Comorato crotches Cassidy on top but Solo stops to do the Macarena. A tornado DDT gets Cassidy out of trouble and Garrison gets high/lowed on the floor. Back up and Solo tries a 21 Plex of all things, which is easily broken up. The Orange Punch finishes Comorato at 3:09.

Rating: C. This was a more serious Conglomeration than usual and that’s certainly a way to go, as Cassidy being serious might not be the best idea. I’m assuming this is in response to Strong being annoyed at the team’s recent loss so maybe they’re going in something of a different direction. Then again it’s just Solorato/Garrison so it only means so much.

Post match here are the Death Riders for their scheduled match and a staredown.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Death Riders

The Gang starts in on Yuta’s arm with some alternating shots before Austin gets pulled into the wrong corner. Austin fights back against Garcia and Yuta, meaning it’s time for the double fireman’s carry with the squats. Castagnoli breaks it up with a big boot though and we take a break. We come back with Austin hitting a brainbuster, allowing the tag off to Colten. That means right hands and a dropkick to take over, with Austin coming in for the still cool Quick Draw.

Everything breaks down and a step up clothesline to the back gets two on Garcia. Castagnoli’s powerbomb out of the corner gets two on Colten and it’s off to the six way slugout/knockdown. Marina Shafir and Juice Robinson tease a fight but Gabe Kidd breaks it up. The Gunns chase Kidd off but Yuta dives onto both of them. That leaves Austin to get crushed with running elbows in the corner, with Shafir getting in a shot of her own. The running knee and Dragontamer finish Austin at 12:20.

Rating: B-. Hey look: Austin takes the fall in a match with the Gunn Club there to do it instead. For the life of me I do not get why Austin has to take so many losses but here we are again. Other than that, it was a good enough tag match and a way for the Riders to get a regular win after their big showcase on Wednesday.

Darby Allin talks about how things have been put into perspective and he thought Steven Borden’s career was over at All Out. The Tag Team Titles will still be waiting for them though and it’s time to focus on the TNT Title. Kyle Fletcher never lost it so Allin wants to give him a title shot at Grand Slam so Allin can feel alive.

Myron Reed vs. Dante Martin

They trade rollups to start as McGuinness and Wight have what sounds like a less than playful exchange on commentary. Martin knocks him outside and rolls through a slingshot sunset flip attempt. Reed is right back up with a dropkick and we take a break. We come back with Reed hitting the hanging Downward Spiral from the apron to the floor. Marin is back up for the suicide shove but Reed tries the running diving cutter. The term is try as Martin blocks it and reverses into a poisonrana on the floor. Back in and Martin goes up for…something that takes so long that he dives into a cutter. Reed’s 450 finishes at 9:49.

Rating: B. It was a nice collection of flips and dives with the 450 being a cool looking finish but this felt like it would have been better suited for a middle of the show match on Ring Of Honor. Martin feels like he has been ready to move up to the next level for years now and there is no reason to suggest that is the case. Reed is talented but I have no reason to believe he’s going anywhere either.

Thekla tries to go see Mercedes Mone but can’t get an answer to a knock. Then Mone sneaks up from behind and knocks Thekla down. This has been “Mone is smart and her challenger is dumb”.

Megan Bayne/Lena Kross vs. Emily Rose/Joiya Blake

Divine Intervention finishes Rose at 46 seconds.

Post match Julia Hart comes out for her match and a staredown with Bayne/Kross. Yeah I saw them do that about thirty minutes ago.

Julia Hart vs. Queen Aminata

Hart gets headbutted out to the floor to start, followed by the Chocolate Kisses back inside. Hart knocks her down out of the corner though and Aminata is in trouble as we take a break. We come back with Aminata getting two off a stomp and putting her in a chair on the floor. That means a running double stomp to drive Hart through chair for a nasty crash and they go back inside. Back in and Hart gets in an Octopus, which is reversed into an Air Raid Crash for two. A Backstabber with the feet has Aminata in trouble again but she knocks Hart into the ropes. Off With Her Head finishes Hart at 9:13.

Rating: C+. They were hitting each other hard but this show has been on a streak of matches that do not feel even remotely important. You know where Hart and Aminata are at the moment and it would be ridiculous to think that either of them is going anywhere off of this win. Maybe Aminata can get a shot in Ring Of Honor or something but it’s not happening here, at least not in anything serious.

New Level are glad about what they’re doing so far and Kofi wants to be a singles champion. That means an official challenge to Bandido for Grand Slam, which is certainly a switch.

Jack Perry says he beat Katsuyori Shibata and wants Samoa Joe, who returned at All Out.

Samoa Joe is back and hopes that Perry can be man enough after the beating he’s going to get.

Adam Priest vs. Mark Davis

Davis chops him down to start but Priest is able to get in a knockdown to the floor. A dragon screw legwhip over the rope has Davis in trouble but he’s able to run Priest over as we take a break. We come back with Priest taking out the leg and hitting a top rope DDT. Another twist of the knee has Davis in trouble but it’s too early for the half crab. And then the half crab goes on to have Davis screaming quite a bit. That’s broken up and Priest goes after the leg again but gets pulled into the piledriver to give Davis the pin at 8:39.

Rating: C+. This show has turned into ROH Collision as you’re getting longer matches with zero doubt about who wins. At the same time, and really far worse, is that neither of these two are going to have anything changed with the result. Davis beat someone he should beat and Priest lost to someone he should lose to. That’s been the case with most of the matches this week and it’s making for a very dull watch.

Queen Aminata is told she might get a title shot and says she’ll face Mercedes Mone at Grand Slam. Then she can go on to WrestleDream to beat Thekla up.

Grand Slam rundown.

Jon Moxley vs. Jake Doyle

Non-title Eliminator Match. They start slowly and Moxley can’t get very far by running into Doyle. A running shoulder doesn’t work but the second is more successful for Moxley. Back up and Doyle powers him into the corner but Moxley reverses and hammers away. A running shoulder sends Moxley off the apron and into the barricade and we take a break.

We come back with Moxley in trouble on the floor and a ridiculously slow count, which allows Moxley to sit down next to the post for a few moments. Back in and Moxley wins a slugout, even throwing in some kicks to the leg. The rebound lariat hits Doyle and a cutter sends him outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Doyle tries a powerbomb but gets his face bitten instead. A piledriver just wakes Doyle up and he powerbombs Moxley for two. Back up and Doyle tries Into The Void but gets pulled into the rear naked choke to give Moxley the win at 13:19.

Rating: B. That was exactly what I was expecting, with Moxley selling a bunch and then winning in the end. The match was good and all, but the result was exactly the same as it so often is with Moxley and that makes for a tedious watch. Moxley being there made it feel more important than the rest of the show but dang this did not come off like a main event.

Overall Rating: C+. This really did feel like a Ring Of Honor show, with a bunch of people having matches to fill in the time. A few of them might be building to something, but so many of the matches felt like background noise while commentary announced matches for the two upcoming shows. You have a live television show with the wrestlers there so make this more like this week’s Dynamite. The wrestling was good but the presentation didn’t work, which made this feel very, very long.

Results
Kofi b. Lee Moriarty – Trouble In Paradise
Death Riders b. Bang Bang Gang – Dragontamer to Austin
Myron Reed b. Dante Martin – 450
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Emily Rose/Joiya Blake – Divine Intervention to Rose
Queen Aminata b. Julia Hart – Off With Her Head
Mark Davis b. Adam Priest – Piledriver
Jon Moxley b. Jake Doyle – Rear naked choke

 

 

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Ring Of Honor – September 24, 2026: Now Was That So Hard?

Ring Of Honor
Date: September 24 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s an AEW PPV weekend and oddly enough we didn’t get a bonus episode of ROH. In this case that’s a good thing as it means we won’t be seeing as many matches that are there to fill in time on the card. As usual I have no idea what to expect on here, but I’m sure a bunch of wrestlers will be moving closer towards title matches which aren’t likely to wind up happening. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Lee Moriarty vs. Serpentico

Non-title Proving Ground Pure Rules match and we’re at a recent AEW show with AEW commentary because I guess that’s a thing we’re doing with this show now. They fight over arm control to start with Moriarty’s armbar making Serpentico burn his first rope break. A rollup gives Serpentico two and he armdrags Moriarty down, only for Moriarty to take out the leg.

Moriarty gets two off a bridging suplex and keeps the bridge after the kickout for some showing off. An abdominal stretch goes on and Serpentico has to fall into the ropes for the second break (with commentary not being sure who made the rope first, which actually matters here). Serpentico’s hurricanrana out of the corner gets two but Moriarty is back with a belly to belly suplex into a bridge (as it sounds) for two of his own. The Border City Stretch makes Serpentico tap out at 5:40.

Rating: C+. This was the most recent Moriarty match where he did just about the same thing he’s done for however many years it is now. Moriarty is good at them, but he’s run through the competition so many times now that there is no one left to come after the title. I hope we’re not waiting on Nigel McGuinness, because that could take some sweet time.

Post match Moriarty gives the downed Serpentico a handshake in a rather heelish move.

We recap Emi Sakura turning on Deonna Purrazzo all those minutes into their time as a team.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rebecca Scott

Non-title Proving Ground Pure Rules match. Purrazzo wastes no time in stacking her up for two and almost gets the Fujiwara armbar. An exchange of rollups gets two each so Scott snaps off a headscissors into the corner. Back up and Purrazzo cuts her off in the corner and goes after the arm. They hit stereo pump kicks to leave them both down before trading shots to the face. A Liger Bomb into the Venus de Milo finishes Scott at 4:15.

Rating: C. As usual, this was about making the newcomer look good while missing the bigger point. Purrazzo is the best Pure Rules wrestler in the history of the women’s division and she should be ticked off because of Sakura. Instead, she has trouble beating someone who isn’t a player around here. That’s missing the bigger point and it’s something that happens way too often on this show.

Post match we get a more respectful handshake.

And now, to Jacksonville.

Main Man Oro vs. Mark Davis

Davis misses an early backsplash but knocks him off the top. Oro’s leg is bent around the top rope and a chop off goes to Davis. A series of clotheslines gives Davis two and he crushes Oro in the corner for the same. The big clothesline is cut off by a rolling Liger kick so Davis forearms him in the face.

Oro’s neckbreaker gets two and they go to the apron for more striking. Davis is sent outside for a corkscrew dive from the top and a hard shot to the back of the head gets two back inside. Oro tries a rollup but gets pulled into the piledriver to give Davis the pin at 6:49.

Rating: B-. This was a nice back and forth match and that’s a lot better here because Davis doesn’t have anything going on around here. It also helps that Oro has been around for a pretty good while. While he hasn’t done much of anything, he’s at least a name and it’s good to see him getting a chance.

Caprice Coleman sits down with the IInspiration, who are busy talking about their nails. Coleman asks about their history and they talk about going to high school together in Australia. That’s a cool situation but the bigger detail is that Jesse is pregnant with a baby girl. They can’t wrestle together right now but they have a plan that involves Australia.

Vertvixen/Viva Van vs. Athena/Billie Starkz

Athena and Van fight over arm control to start so Athena sends her over to Vertvixen for the tag. Starkz comes in for a running knee to the head but Vertvixen is up for a running shoulder and two of her own. It’s back to Athena, who is sent into the corner for some running elbows. Starkz makes the save with a tornado DDT and it’s Vertvixen getting choked down in the corner. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by some running shots to knock Vertvixen even sillier.

Athena misses some running knees in the corner though and Van comes back in to chop away on Starkz. A rolling kick to the face gives Van two and she dropkicks Athena out to the floor. Vertvixen comes back in and gets dropkicked by Athena but Starkz’ Swanton hits raised knees. The string of strikes knocks everyone down until Starkz takes Vertvixen out on the floor. Athena’s flipping Downward Spiral pins Van at 10:52.

Rating: B-. Athena is like so many of the other champions around here, as she has no one to challenge her and nothing in particular to do. I would certainly hope that they aren’t building up Starkz as the challenger again, but that is always a chance. It’s almost like leaving her in Ring Of Honor for almost four years isn’t a great idea.

We look at Bandido and Komander winning last week’s main event over AR Fox/Soleil.

Alan Angels vs. Tommy Billington

Commentary thinks the winner might be in the TOP TEN for the TV Title. At this point, I’d almost take the rankings again. Billington shoulders and armdrags him down to start and scares Angels out to the floor as the audience is quiet. Not that they aren’t reacting, but it’s like you can hear a lot more in the arena.

A backdrop takes Angels down but he’s right back with a northern lights suplex for two. Back up and Billington monkey flips him to the floor, where Angels finds….a breadstick? Angels is able to grab a half nelson suplex for two but gets hits running powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana. The Tombstone gives Billington the pin at 6:55.

Rating: C+. This was about what you would have expected as the two of them have shown what they can do before and did it again here. I’m not sure what was up with the breadstick but it’s more interesting than just having another basic match. I’m sure they’ll be in the title hunt any day now.

Deonna Purrazzo says Emi Sakura only had to ask for a match. She’ll see Sakura soon.

Preston Vance vs. Jarrett Diaz

Vance chops him in the corner but gets knocked down. Diaz’s moonsault misses though and Vance pulls him into a big spinebuster. The discus lariat and full nelson finish Diaz at 1:50.

Post match the Dark Order comes out for the main event but John Silver still doesn’t trust Vance.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Dark Order vs. Lethal Twist

The Order is challenging. Lethal struts away from Reynolds to start so Reynolds struts right back. A dropkick puts Lethal down so the Swirl comes in and double teams Reynolds to cut him off just as fast. That’s fine with the Order, who are in as well to take over on Johnson. A triple basement dropkick has Johnson down again and he gets chopped in the corner.

Silver asks if the fans know how to count before he rains down the right hands but Christian comes in for the save. Everything breaks down and the Order gets in their rollup, with Christian making the save with a top rope double stomp. The Order gets in their triple superkick and the triple flipping slam gets two on Lethal with Johnson making the save.

The Big Shot Drop and a springboard splash combination gets two on Reynolds and it’s time for the parade of strikes to the face. Christian gives Uno the sliding German suplex out of the corner, leaving Silver alone against the champs. Silver suplexes Johnson and Christian at the same time and a brainbuster knocks Lethal silly. Reynolds hits Silver by mistake though and the top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination pins Silver to retain the titles at 9:28.

Rating: B-. This was easily the biggest match of the show and felt good enough for the main event slot. It’s a problem when you have that many titles floating around but only having one of them on the line in the show makes it feel more important. The Order getting a quick title shot is fine as it’s not like they’re going to win or be a serious threat. Nice job here.

Post match the Order argues and Preston Vance comes in, which has Silver shoving people and leaving on his own.

Overall Rating: B-. While there’s still a lot of matches that feel like they don’t matter in the slightest, it’s so much easier to watch this at a more manageable hour and fifteen minutes (ish). If nothing else, getting to the main event that much faster had me more interested in it, especially the angle that was involved. This stuff really isn’t that complicated and it’s nice to see it done better, even if that’s as simple as cutting out thirty minutes of unnecessary content.

Results
Lee Moriarty b. Serpentico – Border City Stretch
Deonna Purrazzo b. Rebecca Scott – Venus de Milo
Mark Davis b. Main Man Oro – Piledriver
Athena/Billie Starkz b. Viva Van/Vertvixen – Flipping Downward Spiral to Van
Tommy Billington b. Alan Angels – Tombstone
Preston Vance b. Jarrett Diaz – Full nelson
Lethal Twist b. Dark Order – Top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to Silver

 

 

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AEW Collision – September 12, 2026: Butcher

Collision
Date: September 12, 2026
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Paul Wight, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

So this is a different kind of show as the whole thing is a tribute to the Butcher, who passed away earlier this month at the far too early age of 48. While Butcher hadn’t wrestled here in a bit, he was certainly a part of the AEW family and deserves such an honor. I’m not sure what this is going to be but it should be emotional, so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

In Memory Of Andy Williams.

There is a wreath and guitar in the ring. Tony Schiavone has the fans stand for a ten bell salute.

Various wrestlers and AEW personalities, including Brody King, Colt Cabana, Justin Roberts, Penelope Ford, Jeff Jarrett and Kip Sabian pay tribute to Butcher.

Commentary pays tribute as well and runs down the card.

Jon Moxley vs. Mike Bailey

Non-title Eliminator Match. They go with the grappling to start and it’s an early standoff. Bailey trips him down into a front facelock so Moxley gets in a takedown of his own to work on the arm. Bailey gets up and snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor, with Moxley already looking frustrated.

Back in and Moxley easily takes him down for a reverse chinlock and it’s time to work on Bailey’s fingers. That earns Moxley a missile dropkick but he sends Bailey flying out to the floor. Bailey is fine enough to start in on the leg, with some kicks setting up a dragon screw legwhip. A corkscrew Asai moonsault drops Moxley and we take a break.

We come back with Moxley getting in a butterfly superplex but Bailey scores with another kick. The standing moonsault knees give Bailey two and he sends Moxley to the apron to do it again. Back in and the Ultimate Weapon misses so Bailey kicks away, only for Moxley to pop up with a cutter. Moxley misses a boot in the corner and gets kicked in the back, with a shooting star giving Bailey two. Bailey gets a kneebar, with Moxley escaping and hitting a Stomp. The Death Rider finishes Bailey at 18:09.

Rating: B. This was your usual Moxley match, as he popped up after everything Bailey threw at him and survived in the end, which is hardly a surprise. At the same time, it was hard to believe that Bailey had much of a chance here as even the time limit almost expiring didn’t really build up much drama. Other than that, Paul Wight praising the continental wrestling with its lack of interference and weapons made me shake my head, as I remember that just being called a wrestling match.

Nick Wayne says youth is what matters and Chris Jericho is worried about him. If Jericho is so sure about himself, come prove it on Dynamite.

Rascalz vs. Aaron Solo/Griff Garrison/Nick Comoroto

Reed throws Garrison down to start and a double slingshot belly to back suplex does it again. Comoroto comes in and gets triple teamed to the floor and Reed cutters Solo. Reed hits a dive and the Hot Fire Flame finishes Solo at 2:01. Total squash.

Daniel Garcia, Willow Nightingale and Pac pay tribute to the Butcher.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Queen Aminata

Mercedes Mone is on commentary. Aminata grabs a quickly broken headlock to start and is taken down, allowing Shirakawa to dance. Back up and Aminata gets in a running shoulder block and we get the required Chocolate Kisses. Shirakawa knocks her down for the slingshot corkscrew dive and the big dive to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Aminata knocking her down and grabbing a snap suplex. Shirakawa grabs a quick Glamorous Driver for two so she puts on the Figure Four, with Aminata having to roll to the rope. A quick small package gives Aminata the pin at 10:19.

Rating: C+. So I guess Aminata is going to be the next victim for Mone and that’s perfectly fine for a quick Collision main event in a few weeks. That’s a weird way to go as Thekla and Willow Nightingale are already likely to come after the title, probably even at All Out. Other than that, Shirakawa loses again, because that’s all she does most of the time.

Post match respect is shown.

Pac says tonight is business as usual for the Death Riders but here are the Dogs to complain about the team stopping them from attacking Will Ospreay. Jon Moxley threatens them because he doesn’t do any favors for anyone. Tonight, the Dogs better go take care of the Bang Bang Gang.

Jay White vs. Adam Priest

They grapple to a standoff to start and White takes him down into a headlock. That’s broken up so Priest strikes away until White drops him again. A Muta Lock sends Priest over to the rope and he’s right back up with a dragon screw legwhip. Priest’s swinging neckbreaker gets two but an attempt at the half crab is reversed into the Blade Runner to give White the pin at 5:19.

Rating: C+. I was expecting this to get more time and it was nice to see White take him down with his finisher instead of going too long. White is someone who can be rather smooth in the ring and look good out there when he is given the chance. Now just let him win some matches that actually matter.

Post match White says the Bang Bang Gang is ready for the Death Riders.

Dogs/Pac vs. Bang Bang Gang

Jay White and Jon Moxley are on commentary. It’s a big brawl to start and the Gang is cleared out with Austin getting caught in the wrong corner for the running clotheslines. The Gang is right back in to do the same to Finlay and Austin loads him up in the fireman’s carry for the squats. We take a break and come back with Robinson fighting out of trouble with a side kick to Pac.

The Gunns come in to clean house with Austin’s full nelson slam getting two on Connors. Austin is in with a double missile dropkick and we get the parade of knockdowns. A German suplex/clothesline combination puts Austin down and Moxley approves. Everyone gets back up and slug it out until Austin hits a big flip dive to the floor. 3:10 To Yuma drops Connors with Finlay diving in for the save (Moxley is thrilled). Pac trips Austin and Connors hits a spear for the pin at 10:51.

Rating: B-. Gah I was getting into this and hoping to see the Gang get a bigger win but why do that when you can have the freaking Dogs get a win? For the life of me I do not get the Dogs and they just keep going with one push after another. They do nothing for me and Kidd is the weakest of them all, so of course he gets the most attention.

Chuck Taylor, Darius Martin, Roderick Strong, Christopher Daniels, Lee Moriarty and Kyle O’Reilly pay tribute to the Butcher.

The Blade has sent in a statement on Butcher’s passing.

Tommaso Ciampa wants a title and is coming to All Out.

Lethal Twist vs. Conglomeration

New Level is on commentary and the Twist’s ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Lethal and Cassidy start things off with Williams taking him up against the rope for a quick finger spin. Cassidy backs him to the floor where Lethal argues with New Level, earning himself a chop from Strong. Everything breaks down, including a barrage of chops, plus a backbreaker/middle rope knee combination to Lethal.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy fighting out of trouble and getting in a Stundog Millionaire. O’Reilly comes in to clean house and Strong throws Cassidy around as a weapon. Strong gets caught in a reverse DDT/high crossbody combination for two and Cassidy gets superkicked. He doesn’t actually fall down though as Strong shoves him back, with a double clothesline dropping the villains. O’Reilly and Cassidy hit a dive apiece, leaving Strong to hit the Sick Kick into the End Of Heartache to pin Lethal at 9:54.

Rating: B-. Yep, you knew how the match was going to go as soon as Ring Of Honor champions were involved. They were there to make the AEW stars look good and somehow this just keeps happening. I have no idea why that’s the case but for some reason Ring Of Honor is just used for jobbing. Just find someone else for this spot. It can’t be that hard with this roster.

Post match Conglomeration and New Level have a staredown.

Lena Kross and Megan Bayne are ticked off and promise to hurt the Brawling Birds.

All Out rundown.

Butcher Battle Royal

Lance Archer, Eddie Kingston, Ortiz, Claudio Castagnoli, Josh Alexander, Daniel Garcia, The Beast Mortos, Jake Doyle, Dante Martin, Darius Martin, AR Fox, Wheeler Yuta

For $100,000 to be donated to the charity of the winner’s choice in Butcher’s name. The brawl starts on the floor and the bell rings with no one actually in the ring. The Martins and Doyle come in to brawl, with Fox coming in to join the festivities. Ortiz gets tossed into a cutter and Mortos is back in to wreck various people.

Fox tries a tornado DDT but gets sent outside for the first elimination. The Death Riders get inside and Kingston and Ortiz are back in to take them out. Well down, not out, as in an elimination. A series of clotheslines against the ropes gets rid of Ortiz but Kingston backdrops Garcia out. The Martins backdrop Mortos out and we take a break.

We come back with the Martins cleaning house again and clotheslining Doyle out. Dante gets knocked out as well and Archer gets rid of Darius. Archer and Castagnoli trade clotheslines until Archer hits a crossbody. Castagnoli escapes the chokeslam and Swings Archer, setting up a clothesline for the elimination. Kingston and Castagnoli chop it out until Kingston gets the Swing as well.

Back up and Kingston is fine enough to spinning backfist Castagnoli out but gets dumped by Alexander. So I think that leaves Alexander and Garcia, with Garcia hitting a bunch of clotheslines but not being able to knock him out. A package piledriver plants Garcia, who holds onto the top rope for the save. Garcia pulls him over the top rope to the apron and gets back inside for a running dropkick and the win at 16:23.

Rating: B-. The quality of the match means absolutely nothing here as this was all about the special feelings. Garcia winning is fine as the actual result is pretty unimportant. It was a bunch of people who were friends with Butcher having a special match. Nothing wrong with that and it was nice to see.

Post match Garcia gets to hold up a Butcher sign and the guitar. The Death Riders have one more big hug.

We get a special tribute video to the Butcher and as usual, this was incredibly well done.

The roster comes to the stage/ramp for one more tribute to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show where the wrestling itself was just kind of background noise. Instead it was about paying tribute to someone who seemed to be pretty awesome and passed away way too young. The show was perfectly fine and the opener was good, but this was all about the Butcher and that is perfectly fine. Good, emotional show here and something that needed to happen.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Mike Bailey – Death Rider
Rascalz b. Aaron Solo/Griff Garrison/Nick Comoroto – Hot Fire Flame to Solo
Queen Aminata b. Mina Shirakawa – Small package
Jay White b. Adam Priest – Blade Runner
Dogs/Pac b. Bang Bang Gang – Spear to Austin
Conglomeration b. Lethal Twist – End Of Heartache to Lethal
Daniel Garcia won the Butcher Battle Royal last eliminating Josh Alexander

 

 

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AEW Collision – August 22, 2026: Why Would You Do That?

Collision
Date: August 22, 2026
Location: Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Tony Schiavone

The Continental Challenge Cup continues here with some more quarterfinal action. That’s in addition to Willow Nightingale vs. Maya World in a champion vs. champion match, which is happening due to reasons I don’t quite understand. Yes Nightingale promised World the title match, but do you really want one of them losing? Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay’s issues from Dynamite.

Continental Challenge Cup Quarterfinals: Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Cassidy gives him the sunglasses to start and gets headscissored as a result. That’s broken up and Cassidy is already looking tired, even as he rolls over into a headlock on O’Reilly. A belly to back suplex can’t get O’Reilly out so he goes after the arm for a change. Cassidy kicks him outside and rolls around a bit, giving us a less than serious standoff.

O’Reilly offers to hold the ropes so Cassidy rolls underneath them, which I guess counts as a mind game here. Cassidy gets in a suplex back inside and we take a break. We come back with O’Reilly getting in a suplex of his own and more suplexes leaving them in the corners. O’Reilly wins an exchange of strikes to knock Cassidy down and they get a double breather.

Back up and Cassidy Falcon Arrows him out of the corner for two but the Beach Break is countered. Instead Cassidy goes with a PK into the Beach Break but O’Reilly is right back with the ankle lock. O’Reilly can’t bring himself to stomp the ankle and gets small packaged, which means a grapevined ankle lock makes Cassidy tap at 14:32.

Rating: B-. This was a basic formula of O’Reilly picking Cassidy apart to make for a good story. As luck would have it, O’Reilly is probably on the way to facing Nigel McGuinness and his bad ankle, which is about as simple as it should go. If nothing else, it’s nice to see O’Reilly actually getting some singles wins, which only happens on occasion.

Post match respect is shown.

After Dynamite, Nigel McGuinness’ ankle was banged up but Will Ospreay joined him in the trainer’s room. Ospreay talks about what an inspiration McGuinness is to him but McGuinness wants Ospreay to go win the big one.

Lena Kross/Megan Bayne vs. Erica Leigh/Tiana James

Non-title with a five minute time limit. Bayne wastes no time in German suplexing them at the same time and a double clothesline puts them down again. We pause for Bayne and Kross to mock the Brawling Birds. Something like Two Birds One Stone connects, but instead it’s Divine Intervention to finish James at 2:33. Exactly what you would have expected.

Video on Swerve Strickland vs. Jack Perry, with the match set for Dynamite.

We look at Darby Allin being blown up by pyro at the hands of Kevin Knight. This was of course followed by a Coast To Coast, because blowing someone up isn’t enough these days.

Continental Challenge Cup Quarterfinals: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Daniel Garcia

Garcia is replacing Eddie Kingston after winning at match at last night’s Ring Of Honor show. Castagnoli wrestles him down to start and gets a quick two, with Garcia bailing over to the rope. A rollup gives Garcia two and he starts striking away, setting up a dragon screw legwhip over the rope. Garcia’s running dropkick hits Castagnoli against the barricade but he avoids a charge to send Garcia into the crowd.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli firing off uppercuts in the corner. Garcia pulls himself up for the dance and hammers away as well, setting up the Dragontamer. That’s quickly escaped so Garcia flips over into a sleeper. The dazed Castagnoli finally reverses into a giant swing so Garcia is up with a running knee. Castagnoli blocks a Neutralizer and goes after the leg, including a kick to said leg in the corner.

Garcia is right back with another sleeper to bring Castagnoli down followed by a Neutralizer for two. Castagnoli twists the knee around though and the Sharpshooter (Schiavone: “Dragontamer, whatever you want to call it.” It’s a Sharpshooter you buffoon.). That’s broken up so Castagnoli powerbombs him into the Sharpshooter for the tap at 15:38.

Rating: B. Garcia gave it his all here and it felt like he was trying as hard as he could to hang in there with the monster Castagnoli. I’m not sure how realistic it was to believe that Garcia was going to move on, but I’ll take a better match than I was expecting along the way. Castagnoli isn’t winning the whole thing but he’s a good midcard monster for someone to overcome on the way to the finals.

Video on Mercedes Mone vs. Willow Nightingale.

The blind draw took place during the break and the semifinals are:

Jon Moxley vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Nigel McGuinness vs. Kyle O’Reilly

So if Moxley wins, and he probably will, did we just spend a month and 14 matches setting up what could have been a regular Continental Title defense?

Video on the Dogs, now with Gabe Kidd again.

Hurt Syndicate/Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Mako/Nic Nolan/Ryan O’Neil

Benjamin and Mako start things off with the latter being launched into the corner. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Benjamin unloads on O’Neil on the floor. Lashley comes in and immediately tags out to Moriarty, with the Syndicate leaving. The Border City Stret finishes Mako (making him look sleepy in the process) at 2:37.

Post match Shane Taylor and his Promotions get in the ring to say he wants the Trios Titles. Therefore, it’s open challenge time.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Austin takes Bravo into the corner to start and it’s Colten coming in to work on the arm. Bravo takes him into the corner but that’s broken up, allowing Austin to come in and hammer on Dean. We take a break and come back with a middle rope fist drop getting two on Austin, followed by the Bronco Buster. Austin is right back up for the diving tag back to Colten. Taylor comes in and absorbs a bunch of chops before missing the Vader Bomb. Everything breaks down and White hits a quick Blade Runner for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C+. And so much for the Promotions’ latest run, as they lose yet again. That’s their trademark result most of the time and I’m not even surprised anymore. I’m not sure how that ties in with the Hurt Syndicate but they’re still more interesting than the Promotions in the first place.

Post match White says he isn’t done with the Dogs, but they want the Trios Titles back.

The Conglomeration is ready to win at All In.

Video on Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay, looking back at their history over the last several years. It’s rather extensive, though I’m not sure they need to go that far back with this match.

Nick Wayne/Tommaso Ciampa vs. Komander/Mike Bailey

They’re all in the Casino Gauntlet so we’re having a match in advance. Ciampa takes Bailey down to start and gets in a quick shot to put him in more trouble. Bailey is back up and it’s off to Wayne, who stomps Bailey into the corner. Everything breaks down and the good guys hit dives to take out Wayne and Ciampa as we take a break.

We come back with Komander diving over for a tag to Bailey, who misses kicks at Wayne. Ciampa is back in to roll Bailey up for two but Bailey gives him the moonsault knees for two of his own. Komander gets the tag and starts spinning around a lot, at least until Ciampa cuts him off with a running knee. Komander’s Destroyer gets two on Wayne but it’s too early for Cielito Lindo. Ciampa goes for Komander’s mask and the ProdigyPlex gives Wayne the pin at 9:49.

Rating: B-. They went nuts for a bit here and it wound up being a fun match. I can go for having a match like this, as Wayne getting a pin on Komander is a potential result of the Casino Gauntlet. The match is going to be insane so having something a little less chaotic is a good thing to see.

Video on the International Title triple threat at All In,

Jon Moxley is happy to face Claudio Castagnoli in the semifinals. Well, maybe not in so many words.

Women’s Title: Maya World vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale (and only Nightingale) is defending. World is taken down off of a lockup to start so she tries to sweep the leg, earning a happy pose from Nightingale. A sunset flip gives World Two and we take a break. We come back with Nightingale striking away in the corner but World drops her with a running dropkick for two.

World gets in a 619 but gets knocked over with a rather hard charge as Nightingale is starting to pick up some steam. Nightingale’s middle rope dropkick sets up a cannonball for two but World is right back with the tabletop suplex for two of her own. That’s enough for Nightingale, who grabs a backslide to retain at 11:28.

Rating: C+. Why? Why did they do this? World is someone who often feels like she’s in over her head as champion and was presented as an underdog getting this far. Why in the world would you put her in a match where she has to lose clean? Sure Nightingale promised her the match. Just find a way to avoid that from happening and this result doesn’t have to happen. Totally fine match with a rather stupid result that didn’t need to happen.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked the show well enough, though dang I’m tired of the Continental Classic stuff. As usual, it’s a tournament of long matches to get us to a match for one of the many one off the many midcard titles. Seeing Moxley vs. Castagnoli isn’t very interesting but here we are getting to hear what a big deal it is. The rest of the show had a bunch of videos for All In, which is fine, but nothing on here felt like it was worth going out of your way to see. In other words, a normal Collision.

Results
Kyle O’Reilly b. Orange Cassidy – Ankle lock
Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Erica Leigh/Tiana James – Divine Intervention to James
Claudio Castagnoli b. Daniel Garcia – Sharpshooter
Hurt Syndicate/Lee Moriarty b. Matt Mako/Nic Nolan/Ryan O’Neil – Border City Stretch to Mako
Bang Bang Gang b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Blade Runner to Bravo
Nick Wayne/Tommaso Ciampa b. Komander/Mike Bailey – ProdigyPlex to Komander
Willow Nightingale b. Maya World – Backslide

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor – July 31, 2026: Good Grief This Show Sometimes

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 31, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for the regular show after Tuesday’s bonus show. In this case that means we have three weeks to go before Death Before Dishonor and it’s time to start getting the card ready. Hopefully that is covered this week, though we already have the Pure Title match as Lee Moriarty is defending against Angelico. Let’s get to it.

Here are Tuesday’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a look at Moriarty vs. Angelico, with the focus still being on their first match nearly two years ago. I’m really not sure how big of a deal that actually is.

Pure Rules Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Angelico

Moriarty is defending. They fight over wrist control to start and Angelico spins out of a wristlock. Angelico’s full nelson is countered into a cravate, which allows Moriarty to go after the arm again. Angelico slips out of that as well and does his dance before pulling him into a leglock, which has Moriarty burning his first rope break.

Back up and Moriarty spins around into the Border City Stretch, which has Angelico using his own first rope break. Moriarty works on the arm and fingers so Angelico goes to the ropes for the second time. With that not working, Moriarty loads up a Scorpion Deathlock but reaches down and grabs Angelico’s head before leaning back and stretching…well pretty much everything.

That’s the third rope break from Angelico, which thankfully means that I don’t have to try to describe that nutty hold again. Angelico grabs something like Konnan’s old Tequila Sunrise to send Moriarty to the rope again, leaving him with one. A triangle choke doesn’t get Moriarty very far and Angelico pulls him into…we’ll say it’s the Rings Of Saturn but with Angelico using his legs. Moriarty burns his last rope break and they trade some rollups for two each. Moriarty’s Border City Stretch goes on again and Angelico gives up at 12:31.

Rating: B. Yeah there were some cool spots in there (some of those submissions were absolutely insane) but it’s the same kind of thing that we’ve seen from Moriarty literally for years now. It would be a bit better if Angelico was built up for the title shot but it was basically just “they had a match about two years ago”. Do you know how many pure matches Angelico has had since then? One, which he lost. It’s really not that hard to set up a title match, but instead we get “Hey remember what we did almost two years ago? We’re doing it again.” Try harder than that.

Bandido is asked about his World Title defense at Death Before Dishonor against…Nick Wayne. This brings in Wayne, who promises to win the title, though Bandido says Wayne has no honor. Bandido promises to show why he’s the most wanted. I’m not sure what that means but it’s not like logic matters around this title anyway.

The World Title match for one of the few PPVs that ROH does every year was announced in a random backstage segment between two people who have no history together. Not one of the three or four people who have beaten Bandido on an AEW PPV lately, because everyone in the company wants to be “insert name here” Two Belts, unless it’s a Ring Of Honor title because who could possibly want one of those? Oh and Wayne was last seen losing on Dynamite, because that’s how you build up a World Title challenger. Good grief this place is ridiculous sometimes.

Viva Van vs. Emi Sakura

Sakura knocks her into the corner to start but Van is back up with a running hurricanrana. Sakura goes outside…and appears to be crying, but it’s just a ruse so Sakura can send her into the steps. Back in and Sakura hits a running crossbody in the corner but Van kicks her away. A missile dropkick gives Van two but she can’t get the Ocean Cyclone suplex. Van is back up with an ax kick and they both block and counter quite a few things. Finally Sakura grabs the Queen’s Gambit for the pin at 8:15.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of where you need a better explanation of things around here. Sakura hasn’t wrestled in AEW since 2025 and hasn’t wrestled in ROH since 2023 (this is her fifth ever match here). It came off like we’re just supposed to remember her like she’s a regular and that isn’t the case. She comes in, she works a few matches, and she leaves. It isn’t a case of her talent, but rather she’s gone for long stretches of time and that doesn’t really work in wrestling. Tell us, or better yet, show us, a bit more about her.

The Kingdom uses AI to pick their partners for tonight: the Grizzled Young Veterans! This gives them an 87% chance of winning the match, but the Veterans aren’t sure about this AI stuff. Neither am I, but it’s certainly topical at the moment so points for something new.

Diamante vs. Allie Katch

Diamante grabs a headlock to start but gets pulled down into a quickly broken headlock. Back up and Diamante pulls her out of the corner and fires off some crossface shots to the jaw. A hard whip into the corner lets Diamante pose a bit but Katch is back up with a seated senton. The cannonball gives Katch two but Diamante is right back with a Stunner. Katch’s enziguri gets two more but Diamante gives her a hot shot into One In The Chamber to give Diamante the pin at 4:52.

Rating: C+. I still like Katch and could go for having her around to do some more stuff around here. At the same time, Diamante is still good enough in the ring most of the time but she only gets so many chances to show what she can do as the third person in Athena’s group. The match was a pretty good back and forth showcase too so I’ll take this.

Post match Diamante stays on her but Queen Aminata runs in for the save.

Caprice Coleman sits down with Shane Taylor, who doesn’t like Coleman’s previous suggestions that Shane Taylor Promotions do gangster things. Coleman apologizes and asks Taylor about his matches with Jon Moxley. Taylor brags about laying out Moxley multiple times, which no one else has done. He likes finding the diamonds in the rough and he and his team trust each other. That’s how they’ll accomplish their goals but he wants to remain the person he was raised as being. As usual, Taylor is quite the talker when things are toned down a bit and I could see him having a future as a commentator.

AR Fox vs. Soleil

They go with the grappling to start and Soleil rolls backwards, all the way out to the floor. Back in and Fox uses a handstand to block a cutter (it was cool when I saw him do it live at the WrestleCon Supershow and it’s still cool here). They nip up into a standoff and Soleil flips away and hits a Meteora, landing on his feet before he hits the ground.

Back up and Fox rolls through into a neckbreaker before elbowing away in the corner. The elbows continue against the barricade and we’re off to the chinlock back inside. That’s broken up and they hit stereo crossbodies to leave both of them down. Soleil is up with a high crossbody for two but Fox is right back with a rolling cutter. A fisherman’s buster gives Fox two more but he misses the 450. They go up top until Soleil is shoved away, allowing Fox to give him a jumping Stunner. Lo Mein Pain into the 450 finishes Soleil at 11:00.

Rating: B. Fox has grown on me like few others around here as he wrestles a very different style but does it so well. That makes him stand out, along with being so smooth in the ring. This was good stuff as Soleil is as unique as it gets around here and the whole thing meshed together rather well. Good stuff here.

Athena is sick of people trying to come after her, including Hazuki. They can have their title match at Death Before Dishonor. In case you’re wondering, Hazuki hasn’t wrestled in ROH since before AEW existed and has wrestled four times in AEW. At least she had a brawl with Athena in her match this week on Collision. Athena defending against the woman who beat her in the Owen Hart Cup? You should know better than that.

Steph de Lander vs. Rachael Ellering

Pure Rules and de Lander uses her first rope break in less than twenty seconds. Ellering takes her down without much trouble and hits a basement dropkick to the head. The second rope break is quickly used, as is de Lander’s punch to the face for the warning. Back up and de Lander kicks her in the face but Ellering is right back with a spinning elbow. Something like the dragon sleeper makes de Lander use her last rope break. Ellering tries a charge so de Lander hides behind the referee, with Ellering throwing him down. That lets de Lander get in another right hand and it’s a sitout F5 for the pin on Ellering at 4:49.

Rating: C. I can absolutely go for someone who cheats in this division as that’s not something you often see. De Lander cheating every chance she could makes a lot of sense and I could go for seeing what she can do in the division. It’s not like there is anything else interesting going on in the division.

Juice Robinson has glistening nipples and is coming to ROH.

Trish Adora vs. Angelica Risk

Adora sends her into the corner for a running splash to start before pulling Risk out of the air. A bridging northern lights suplex gets two and it’s time to go after Risk’s arm. The sit on the back double arm crank, followed by the rapid fire hips to the face in the corner. Risk is back up with a hurricanrana faceplant into a 619 and they trade some rollups for two each. Back up and Adora kicks her in the face, setting up the Lariat Tubman to finish Risk at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Adora got to do her usual stuff here and as a result it was entertaining while it lasted. It’s also just the kind of stuff that we’ve seen from her for a long time now and that kind of puts a limit on what she can do. That’s not likely to change and unfortunately that’s going to keep her in the same spot for however long she’s around.

Steph de Lander is coming for the Women’s Pure Rules Title. She’s already gotten a better build than Angelico so why not.

Vertvixen vs. Julissa Mexa

Mexa grabs the leg and rolls around a lot, allowing her to dance. Vertvixen grabs the leg though and slaps on a half crab, followed by a running boot in the corner. Back up and they trade some forearms until Mexa gets up top for a missile dropkick. Mexa strikes away but charges into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. They go up top at the same time and strike it out, where Mexa grabs a super Samoan Driver for the pin at 5:29.

Rating: C+. Mexa has been around here a few times before and she’s done well enough in those limited appearances. She has some good charisma and that finish was quite the crash landing. Vertvixen continues to be someone who feels like she could be something if given the chance but that has yet to happen.

Nigel McGuinness wants the Pure Rules Title and is willing to put his ROH career on the line.

Von Erichs/Bustah And The Brain vs. Kingdom/Grizzled Young Veterans

Hold on though as AI says that Drake should start against Price, who takes him down with an early wristlock. Gibson saves Drake from a suplex and it’s off to Taven for a clothesline and dropkick to Oliver. The Von Erichs come in for a bunch of slams so the villains bail out to the floor. Back in and Gibson takes over on Ross, with a cravate sending him face first into the mat. Bennett comes in for a front facelock but Ross gets out and dropkicks his way to freedom.

Everything breaks down and Gibson gives Oliver a Death Valley Driver. Price hits a pop up dropkick to Bennett and spins over into a crossbody to Taven (that was awesome). The Von Erichs hit stereo cannonballs on the Veterans and the Claws go on. That’s broken up though and the distracted referee misses the low blow to Marshall, with Drake getting a rollup for the pin at 10:05.

Rating: B-. As much as my eyes rolled at seeing the Von Erichs back, the match wound up being good and I could go with the AI Kingdom as a thing. It’s been thirty five years since the York Foundation (oh dear) so why not? Go with something to see if it works, as it’s not like the Kingdom has been lighting things up since they returned. At least the numbers backed them up this time.

Zayda Steel vs. Sara Leon

Steel takes her down by the arm to start and Leon is surprised. For some reason Leon is surprised again when she gets pulled into an armbar and Steel wrestles her down again without much trouble. Steel misses something off the top and gets snapmared down into a running kick to the head. Leon’s kick from the apron is blocked though and Steel starts in on the leg, followed by a scorpion kick. A hanging Codebreaker gets two but Leon rolls into a German suplex to drop Steel hard. Steel is able to block a second attempt though and a leglock finishes Leon at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Steel worked on the leg, countered a move and then put on a leg hold for the win. It’s not much of a steel but it’s certainly better than what you get a lot of the time. That’s all you need here and at least Steel got a win, even if it’s against someone who might not be so well known around here. It’s better than nothing and it might lead to…oh give me a break.

Deonna Purrazzo is down to face Steph de Lander at Death Before Dishonor.

Juice Robinson vs. Anthony Henry

Henry wrestles him down to start and works on the arm but Robinson grabs a waistlock to cut that off. It’s enough for Henry to need a breather on the floor before coming back in for a dragon screw legwhip. Robinson has to bail to the ropes to escape a leglock but a backsplash hits raised knees.

Henry goes right back to the knee so Robinson snaps off a spinebuster. Now the backsplash connects for two but Henry knocks him down again, setting up the Figure Four. They slap it out until the hold is broken and Robinson is up to snap off the jabs. The forward DDT pins Henry at 7:54.

Rating: C+. Yeah fine. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think about this as it’s basically just a guest star from AEW showing up here for what is likely a one off match. As usual that’s hardly exciting but Robinson is so quirky and odd that he winds up keeping me interested. Not bad for a match, but as usual, a completely random choice for a main event.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, the show was far too long and did little more than showcase how random this place is. McGuinness and de Lander technically earn title shots while Nick Wayne is just handed one while Hazuki at least interacted with the champion to get hers. It feels like every story has its own rules and that’s not exactly a great way to run a show. At least things should have something close to a focus for the next three weeks, but as usual there was a bunch of stuff that felt like it was here because Tony Khan has to film everything and air it as we approach three and a half hours of ROH this week. How lucky.

Results
Lee Moriarty b. Angelico – Border City Stretch
Emi Sakura b. Viva Van – Queen’s Gambit
Diamante b. Allie Katch – One In The Chamber
AR Fox b. Soleil – 450
Steph de Lander b. Rachael Ellering – Sitout F5
Trish Adora b. Angelica Risk – Lariat Tubman
Julissa Mexa b. Vertvixen – Super Samoan Driver
Kingdom/Grizzled Young Veterans b. Bustah And The Brain/Von Erichs – Rollup to Marshall
Zayda Steel b. Sara Leon – Leglock
Juice Robinson b. Anthony Henry – Forward DDT

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor – July 28, 2026: More From Them. And Him. (Includes Full Show)

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 28, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Just in case you hadn’t had enough Ring Of Honor lately, we have a bonus show before Friday’s regular show! Wait wait, don’t tell me. The Premiere Athletes will be in action here! Plus something about teams trying to get in position for a shot at the Tag Team Titles. That’s the kind of cutting edge stuff that has put Ring Of Honor in the place it is in today. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We look at Maya World winning the TBS Title at Redemption.

Maya World vs. Janai Kai

Non-title. There are no entrances for obvious reasons but commentary says that this was signed before World won the title. So they’re really still trying to avoid saying that it’s taped in advance? The show for the most hardcore fans of the promotion designed for the smart fans? Anyway, Kai grabs a waistlock to start but gets sunset flipped for two.

World sweeps the leg out and hits a slingshot hilo, earning herself some leg trips. Back up and the tabletop suplex gives World two (so Kai is tougher than Hikaru Shida) but Kai catches her going up top. That earns her a powerbomb out of the corner and a Shining Wizard finishes Kai at 6:00.

Rating: C. This wasn’t a squash but it was a basic, easy enough win for World. She’s certainly on the rise in both promotions and that’s great to see, as she has come a long way in pretty much every area. Nice opener here, with the star who got a big win on Sunday getting a showcase here.

We look at Mike Bailey winning the ladder match to become #1 contender to the International Title.

Alan Angels vs. Nick Wayne

Angels takes him down by the arm to start but Wayne is back up with a shove and some spitting. That earns Wayne a running chop in the corner so he knocks Angels right back down. Back up and Angels superkicks him out of the air, only to have him come back with an Alabama Slam. They trade rollups for two each until Wayne’s handspring elbow is countered into a dragon suplex. Angels’ springboard moonsault gets superkicked out of the air, followed by a kick to the head to pin Angels at 8:03.

Rating: B-. This was a back and forth match with the two of them getting to trade comebacks until Wayne knocked him silly. At the same time, this was a match that got some time despite neither of them having much of anything going on. It’s a good example of a match that feels like it’s there to have people in the ring without any particular reason.

Action Andretti/The Opps vs. Landon Hale/Robert Allen/Steve Allen

There’s your weird team of the week. Hook knocks Hale down to start and then pounds away in the corner, allowing Andretti to come in with a top rope clothesline. Steve comes in and gets beaten up by Bowens, including a pop up Fameasser. Andretti hits an Asai moonsault and Bowens armbars Robert for the tap at 2:50.

Isla Dawn vs. Erica Leigh

Dawn has won her one match here and Riccaboni says she is hoping to turn it into a winning streak. Why? One win can get you a title shot around here. Dawn kicks away at the leg to start and stomps Leigh down in the corner. Back up and Leigh hits some running clotheslines in the corner but Dawn is back with a suplex. The Meteora gets two and Dawn grabs a dragon sleeper in the ropes. Leigh’s comeback is countered with a Backstabber into the dragon sleeper to make Leigh tap at 3:43.

Rating: C. This was much more in the squash territory and it was nice to see Dawn getting in there and destroying someone. Dawn has something to her and I could go for having her become one of the regulars in the division. If Maya World is on her way to the main roster full time, there is a spot open for someone and Dawn is a good option.

Post match Dawn grabs the sleeper again and Leigh is left laying.

Adam Priest vs. Kiran Grey

Grey isn’t having anything involving running shoulders so Priest goes with the right hands in the corner. Grey fights back and strikes away but gets knocked down with an uppercut. A legsweep takes Priest down and Grey chokes in the corner. Priest is right back with a running neckbreaker before slamming Grey’s knee onto the mat. Another takedown by the leg sets up a half crab to make Grey tap at 6:02.

Rating: C+. Grey is an interesting situation as he has the creepy/brooding persona but he never wins and tapped out in about six minutes. That’s not exactly the best way to go for him and it didn’t do him much good here. Priest continues to be fine in this spot, though I’m not sure I can imagine him going much higher than this level.

Isla Dawn says she’s going to keep winning until she wins gold so she wants a shot at Red Velvet.

Griff Garrison vs. Aaron Solo

Garrison forearms away to start but Solo is up with a running hurricanrana. With Garrison trying to walk off, Solo runs up to cut that off but Garrison hot shots him back inside. Some right hands have Solo in more trouble until he fights up with some running forearms. A torture rack powerbomb gives Garrison two, as does Solo’s top rope double stomp. Back up and Garrison hits a running spinning….we’ll say headbutt for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C+. Garrison is another person who has nothing going on at the moment and that has been the case for him for a long time now. At least he won a match here so maybe they’ve got something up for him. Solo is still the usual jobber to the stars and that’s about it, but there are far worse options for that spot.

Video on Lee Moriarty vs. Angelico.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Spanish Announce Project

Angelico and Moriarty trade wrist control to start so it’s off to Serpentico. The Promotions send him to the apron though and Taylor gets in the big legdrop. Taylor gets in his usual big shots on the floor but Serpentico kicks him in the head. Angelico comes back in to clean house and hands it right back to Serpentico for two off a Swanton. Moriarty is back up with the butterfly Side Effect to pin Serpentico at 6:39.

Rating: C+. Well, at least it helped boost things up a bit for Angelico vs. Moriarty. That’s better than saying “Angelico almost beat him about two years ago” so I’ll take something over having absolutely nothing to set up the match. It’s still only so interesting, but after years of “and then this person gets a title shot”, it’s an improvement.

Red Velvet is ready for Isla Dawn.

Premiere Athletes/Swirl vs. Outrunners/Dalton Castle/Orange Cassidy

I WAS KIDDING ABOUT THE ATHLETES! And of course they’re headlining the show! The villains jump Magnum to start, with Nese doing some pushups. Floyd comes in off a tag behind Nese’s back and the Outrunners take turns raining down right hands in the corner. Cassidy’s single right hand gets two but Magnum gets caught in the wrong corner for the triple teaming.

Moriarty hammers away but Magnum is right back up for the tag off to Castle. Everything breaks down and the Swirl takes over on Castle and Magnum, only for Castle to suplex them down at the same time. Cassidy’s double hurricanrana takes them out as well and it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. Floyd gets in his string of slams but Mark Sterling breaks up the Orange Punch. Everyone but the Athletes and Cassidy brawl to the back, with Daivari forearming Nese down by mistake. The Orange Punch finishes Nese off at 10:07.

Rating: B-. Cassidy was just there to add in some star power and to avoid the Six Man Champions from having to face another three man team. In theory this was designed to get Castle and the Outrunners their win back after their completely necessary loss on Collision. That only works so well when none of them were around in the end, but this was just your usual eight man tag from ROH anyway.

Cassidy is left alone to end the show. As in the Ring Of Honor show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m really not sure why this needed to be its own special, but at least it did set some things up, including Moriarty vs. Angelico and Dawn vs. Velvet. At the same time, there was a lot of stuff here that felt like content for the sake of content. As usual, it feels like ROH Dark, which is a fine enough idea, but it’s not something that really works when it’s also used to build things up. But if we try to figure out how things are working around here, we’ll be here far too long. Not a bad show, and it did push some stories forward, which is always appreciated.

Results
Maya World b. Janai Kai – Shining Wizard
Nick Wayne b. Alan Angels – Kick to the head
Action Andretti/The Opps b. Landon Hale/Robert Allen/Steve Allen – Armbar to Robert
Isla Dawn b. Erica Leigh – Dragon sleeper
Adam Priest b. Kiran Grey – Half crab
Griff Garrison b. Aaron Solo – Running spinning headbutt
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Spanish Announce Project – Butterfly Side Effect to Serpentico

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor – June 4, 2026: Caught Them At The Right Time

Ring Of Honor
Date: June 4, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

It’s a rare case where we have something coming up as Global wars is taking place in a few weeks. That’s more than we get most of the time and hopefully it is enough to give this show something of a focus. That could go all kinds of ways though and you never know what you’ll be getting around here. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. The Rascalz

It’s Myron Reed/Zachary Wentz for the Rascalz here with Wentz starting against Drake. Wentz gets distracted and sent into the wrong corner but fights out rather quickly. Everything breaks down and the Rascalz are there with the stereo dives. We settle down to Reed headscissoring Gibson but Wentz is sent outside.

That leaves Reed to get caught in a Michinoku Driver and choked in the corner as things slow back down. Reed fights up and bounces around into an enziguri to catch Gibson. It’s back to Wentz to clean house, including a Blockbuster to put Gibson down again. A Swanton hits Drake but he gets his knees up to counter a splash into a cradle for two. Reed gets out of an electric chair though and superkicks Drake to the floor.

Wentz superkicks Gibson into a backbreaker and then dives outside onto Drake. Gibson is back up with a middle rope Codebreaker for two on Wentz and Drake’s Coast To Coast gets the same. Grit Your Teeth is broken up and the UFO Cutter plants Gibson. Reed’s diving cutter to the floor takes Drake down again, meaning it’s Reed’s 450 to finish Gibson at 9:21.

Rating: B-. This was certainly a fast paced match and while I don’t quite believe commentary saying this moves the Rascalz closer to a Tag Team Title shot, at least it was a fun opener. Tag wrestling is often a good way to start the show and it worked well here. The Rascalz don’t get to do much that matters but they know how to do this kind of match rather well, with the tags being mostly unnecessary making it more entertaining.

Athena brags about retaining the Women’s Title at Supercard Of Honor but now she has to get through Global Wars where she has some unfinished business. That means getting to face Syuri.

Lacey Lane vs. Queen Aminata

Aminata wants a test of strength to start but settles for a headlock takeover instead. Lane is back up with something of a dancing abdominal stretch, which doesn’t last long either. They go outside with Lane hitting a quick crossbody but Aminata whips her into the barricade. Back in and a swinging neckbreaker gives Aminata two and a side slam gets the same.

A Rings Of Saturn is broken up as Lane rolls out, allowing her to kick Aminata’s legs out. Lane’s springboard elbow gets two and she goes after the ribs. A big headbutt gives Aminata two and she kicks away in the ropes. Lane is back up with a swinging Downward Spiral for two and gets to stomp her down as well. Aminata suplexes her into the ropes though and a running knee finishes Lane at 8:30.

Rating: B. These women beat the fire out of each other and I’ll take that as a nice surprise. Lane has shown a great charisma and some in-ring abilities to back it up. Aminata was doing her thing rather well here too and I could go for more of this version of her. Solid match here and a lot better than I would have bet on seeing.

We look back at the Kingdom returning at Supercard Of Honor.

Bustah And The Brain are ready to take the Kingdom out again. They don’t like being talked down to and they’re after the Tag Team Titles. I can go with more of these two in a serious role. Or just a role that matters.

Kiran Grey/Alex Kane/Bruss Hamilton vs. Los Colons/Serpentico

Kane and Eddie start things off with the rather muscular Colon getting dropkicked. The Colons double kick Kane down and it’s off to Serpentico for a chop. The even bigger Hamilton comes in to miss some clotheslines but sends Serpentico into the corner. Grey’s legsweep lets Kane come back in but Serpentico flips out of a double belly to back suplex

It’s back to Orlando to clean house and Serpentico hits a double suicide dive. Ignore that he basically slapped two far larger men and they went flying. A Backstabber and…something close to a frog splash which lands in the vicinity of Grey is enough for the pin at 5:16.

Rating: C. This had some ok moments and the three monsters looked intimidating but the good guys were a bit of a stretch. The Colons didn’t work very well, with that finish looking rather messed up. I wasn’t feeling this one, but at least it didn’t take up too much time after the rather hot start.

Isla Dawn isn’t happy and wants to take her frustrations out on Deonna Purrazzo.

Isla Dawn vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Non-title Proving Ground match under Pure Rules. Dawn’s wristlock is reversed into one from Purrazzo, sending Dawn over to the rope for the first time. A test of strength actually goes to Dawn and she sends Purrazzo into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. Some running knees give Dawn two and she knees Purrazzo in the back as this is mostly one sided so far.

A boot to the head gives Dawn two and she grabs an arm as we’re at the halfway point. Purrazzo gets back up with a clothesline and a Russian legsweep connects, only for the Fujiwara armbar to be reversed into a rollup for two. Dawn’s Saito suplex gets two as they have three minutes left. They go into some grappling and Purrazzo gets the Fujiwara for the tap at 7:45.

Rating: B-. This was an upgrade as Dawn got in a lot of offense and mostly dominated until it got into the technical style. Dawn is someone who feels like she could be a bigger deal if she’s given the chance, though I’m not sure how likely that is to take place. She got in a good match here though and Purrazzo had to sweat a good bit to survive here.

Athena sits down with Caprice Coleman, who brings up Billie Starkz. Athena isn’t impressed with Starkz but knows the potential is there. That’s why Athena keeps her so close but she isn’t happy about the near throwing in the towel at Supercard Of Honor. Coleman suggests that Starkz could turn on her but Athena thinks Starkz is too emotional. No one would know who Starkz is without Athena and she brags about all of her success. Finally, she says she’s staying here because this place is her baby. I can’t believe they’re still building towards Starkz winning the title and my goodness I hope they don’t go there.

Bryan Keith vs. Tommy Billington

Billington starts fast by avoiding a charge into a German suplex but Keith sends him into the ropes. That doesn’t last long as Billington sends him to the floor and hits a dive. Keith grabs a DDT on the floor and tries an electric chair back inside. With that not working, Keith hits a big clothesline for two but Billington is back with a Tombstone for two. Keith knocks him back though and hits a running kick to the face. That just earns him a piledriver to give Billington two but Keith pulls a turnbuckle pad off. He also finds a well hidden spike to stab Billington, setting up a tiger driver for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: B-. Another good enough match here and it doesn’t seem like Keith and Big Bill have much going on at this point. That might mean more of Keith on his own, which isn’t a bad thing. He can do well enough with the cheating and this was a good look at what he has without Bill.

Queen Aminata and Lacey Lane respect each other and are willing to run it back.

Lee Moriarty vs. Mance Warner

Remember the non-title Proving Ground match? This is another one. Moriarty ties up the arm to start and gets hit in the chest for his efforts. They head outside with Moriarty being sent into the barricade and Warner grabs a crossface chickenwing. That’s broken up and Moriarty knocks him down, meaning it’s time to dance back inside.

Something like an Octopus on the mat sends Warner over to the rope so Warner punches him in the face for a warning and two. The big clothesline gets two on Moriarty and Warner’s crossface makes Moriarty use his first rope break. The Fang into a Border City Stretch…is broken up as Warner pokes him in the eyes. Moriarty gets the Stretch again though and Warner taps at 7:09.

Rating: C+. And this was another Pure Rules match featuring Moriarty. I’m not sure how this is supposed to really mean much, though we’re coming up on the Nigel McGuinness title shot. At least that is something to build towards, but I’m almost worried for how long we’ll have to wait to see it happen.

Deonna Purrazzo is happy with her win and is ready to keep the title.

Lio Rush vs. Griff Garrison

Rush crawls over to the corner to start and gets Garrison’s cup, which he throws out to the floor. The dodging frustrated Garrison and Rush knocks him down in the corner. It’s too early for the Final Hour though and Garrison hits a running clothesline for two. Rush is right back with a sleeper to take Garrison down but he slips out, only to be sent outside. A running kick to the head knocks Garrison off the apron but he’s back in with a powerbomb for two. Rush is back up to strike away and the springboard Stunner sets up a cravate choke to finish Garrison at 7:05.

Rating: C+. As usual Rush’s offense is entertaining and he can do stuff that no one else can pull off. It makes the whole weird/creepy thing all the less necessary as he can stand out on his own. Either way, at least he won something here, which is worth…whatever you can get out of beating Garrison in Ring Of Honor.

Los Colons and Serpentico want to face Shane Taylor Promotions and be a team going forward. I would hope this was taped in advance, as I can’t imagine how someone could see their first match and want to see more.

The Workhorsemen want to face Eddie Kingston/Ortiz.

The Kingdom vs. Bustah And The Brain

Price knocks Taven into the corner to start but gets caught with a dropkick. Bennett comes in with a knee to Price, who is right back up for the tag off to Oliver. It’s back to Taven, who kicks his way out of the corner without much trouble, allowing Bennett to fire off the chops. Taven’s neckbreaker gets two and his kick into the top rope elbow/backbreaker combination is good for the same.

Oliver manages to fire off some chops to Bennett and knocks him down, allowing the diving tag to Price. House is quickly cleaned and a springboard neckbreaker gets two on Taven as everything breaks down. Taven’s Just The Tip gets two on Taven but Price gives Bennett a super sitout gordbuster. Oliver hits a frog splash for two and loads up a Doomsday Device, only for Price to dive onto Bennett on the floor. That leaves Taven to roll Oliver up with tights for the pin at 11:06.

Rating: B. This feels like a way to keep Bustah And The Brain learning as commentary was pointing out how Price made a bad move by diving onto Bennett instead of going for the win. That makes sense and as long as they get to do something else, it’s fine. As for the Kingdom, they’re ok but it doesn’t work as well without Maria.

Athena vs. Hyan

Non-title Proving Ground match and Diamante is here with Athena. Hyan doesn’t seem impressed to start and they fight over a small package to no avail. Hyan’s knockdown gets two more so Athena hammers away. Athena sends her outside for a suicide dive into the barricade, followed by a choke in the corner.

The chinlock goes on but Hyan fights up and knocks her away from the ropes. A high crossbody gives Hyan two but Athena pops up for a headscissors. They trade some rollups until Athena’s curb stomp gets two more. Athena tries a springboard high crossbody but gets faceplanted for a near fall, with Hyan loading up her knee. The running knee misses so Athena flips her into a Koji Clutch for the tap at 8:20.

Rating: B-. That was a good way to make Athena look strong (again) on her way to her big showdown with Syuri in a few weeks. It helps that Hyan was built up over the last few months so this was hardly some nothing match. If nothing else, Athena deserves credit for keeping things fresh in the ring. It feels like she’s regularly adding in new stuff to her arsenal and it’s was working here.

Overall Rating: B. I’m not sure what was going on here but the wrestling was more energetic than usual. Maybe I just caught them on a good week or something but this worked rather well. Aminata and Lane had a heck of a match where they were putting in quite a bit of effort and Kingdom vs. Bustah And The Brain (which should have headlined) was a great bonus. Rather good show here and if you trim off about half an hour, it’s even better.

Results
Rascalz b. Grizzled Young Veterans – 450 to Gibson
Queen Aminata b. Lacey Lane – Running knee
Los Colons/Serpentico b. Kiran Grey/Bruss Hamilton/Alex Kane – Frog splash to Gray
Deonna Purrazzo b. Isla Dawn – Fujiwara armbar
Bryan Keith b. Tommy Billington – Tiger driver
Lee Moriarty b. Mance Warner – Border City Stretch
Lio Rush b. Griff Garrison – Cravate choke
The Kingdom b. Bustah And The Brain – Rollup with tights to Oliver
Athena b. Hyan – Koji Clutch

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AEW Collision – May 30, 2026: They Did Something Different

Collision
Date: May 30, 2026
Location: Propst Arena, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s another edition of Collision after the special one hour show on Wednesday. Never fear though because we’re getting the full two hour edition this week as well. We’re done with Double Or Nothing and are likely to get some additional Owen Hart Cup matches this week. That should work well enough so let’s get to it.

Here is Wednesday’s show if you need a recap.

Konosuke Takeshita thanks the Conglomeration for having his back on Dynamite and promises that this isn’t over with the Don Callis Family. Takeshita has a backpack of his own.

Trios Title: Conglomeration vs. Don Callis Family

Lance Archer and RPG Vice are challenging for the Family and Tommaso Ciampa is on commentary. Strong and O’Reilly take turns beating on Romero to start, with a backbreaker setting up Cassidy’s lazy elbow. Romero actually takes Cassidy down but Cassidy is right back with his hands in his pockets for an armdrag.

Beretta takes over on Cassidy and Romero hits the lariats but it’s off to Archer, which makes Cassidy think twice. O’Reilly is more than willing to strike away at him and Archer limps around, at least until he runs O’Reilly and Cassidy over. We take a break and come back with O’Reilly fighting out of trouble and hitting a clothesline.

Strong gets the tag to clean house, including the usual backbreakers. Cassidy is put onto Archer’s shoulder for a spinning DDT but Romero gives Cassidy the running Sliced Bread #2. Beretta adds a delayed piledriver for two but a second is countered with a backdrop. Romero gets caught with a gutbuster and Archer gets choked out. Cassidy’s top rope elbow finishes Romero to retain the titles at 11:37.

Rating: B-. Good enough opener here with the Family sending in its G team to lose a title shot. At the same time, Cassidy is more than capable of making his stuff work against low level goons, which is exactly how RPG Vice could be described. This was a fine way to start the night, as is often the case with the Trios Titles.

Video on Megan Bayne and Lena Kross, who are all dominant and such.

Tay Melo/Anna Jay vs. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne

Non-title eliminator match with a five minute time limit. Kross and Bayne are sent into each other to start but fight back without much effort. Bayne plants Jay a few times and it’s off to Kross for the shoulders in the corner. Kross knocks Jay down for two but she escapes Bayne’s slam attempt.

A small package gives Jay two of her own and it’s back to Melo to strike away. There’s a double DDT for two on Kross as we have a minute left. A running boot/German suplex combination gets two on Melo but the Divine Intervention is broken up. Jay gets the Queenslayer on Bayne and time expires at 5:00, giving Melo and Jay a title shot.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t exactly thrilling but it did exactly what it needed to, with Melo and Jay getting set up as the next challengers. That’s how it should have gone and it made for a good, short match. They don’t need to win the titles, but it’s a fine way to set up a title shot without burning off too much time.

Long recap of Wednesday’s Dynamite and Collision.

Here is Tommaso Ciampa, who was hoping that the old Chris Jericho would be here to get some revenge but instead he’s not here. Therefore, we’ll go with 1,004 reasons why he hates Jericho. This includes Fozzy sucks, the light up jackets, the cruises he makes everyone go on and HIS ARMBARS. Ciampa hates that full head of hair that Jericho has too and Jericho needs to understand that this isn’t some happiness tour. He promises to take Jericho out.

Maya World vs. Hazuki

Persephone is on commentary. Hazuki works on the arm to start and grabs a rollup for two, with World’s backslide getting the same. Back up and World kicks away, setting up a bulldog into the middle buckle. Hazuki’s headscissors into a basement dropkick gets her out of trouble and she stomps away in the ropes. A point at Persephone takes us to a break.

We come back with Hazuki winning an exchange of forearms but World catches her in the corner. Something like a powerbomb out of the corner gives World Two but Hazuki grabs the rope to prevent her from going up. A pump kick sends World to the apron for a hanging DDT so Hazuki heads up top. That’s broken up and World knocks her to the floor, where Hazuki runs right back inside for a dive. Back in and a tabletop suplex gives World two, only to miss a moonsault. The Codebreaker out of the corner sets up a top rope backsplash to give Hazuki the pin at 10:20.

Rating: B-. This was Hazuki’s traditional introduction match to let us know who she was before she starts up in the Owen Hart Tournament. It doesn’t help that it’s a cold match and went back and forth, but at least Hazuki got to be on one of the shows. This is something that happens in these tournaments on the regular and while I get the appeal, it often comes off as filler more than anything else.

Post match Persephone gets in the ring for the showdown.

We get a tribute to Dennis Condrey (who lived in Huntsville) and Bobby Eaton (who was from Huntsville). That’s a rather nice moment as the Midnight Express really was as good as advertised.

Video on Lee Moriarty, who has been the Ring Of Honor Pure Wrestling Champion for almost two years.

Lee Moriarty vs. Tim Bosby

Shane Taylor is on commentary. Moriarty wrestles him down without much effort and slides between Bosby’s legs for a bring it on. Bosby’s uppercut earn him a leg lariat and it’s the Border City Stretch to give Moriarty the tap at 1:34.

Post match Shane Taylor Promotions come in to praise Moriarty and insult the fans but the Death Riders’ entrance for their match cuts them off.

Death Riders vs. The Infantry

Moxley grabs Bravo’s arm to start and shoves him down, allowing Pac to come in for a wristlock of his own. The Infantry’s manager Christyan XO grabs Pac’s leg so Marina Shafir scares her off the apron. Dean pulls Pac to the apron and the beatdown is on, with Moxley grabbing a chair to chase them off. Taylor gets off commentary to punch Moxley down and a DDT drops Pac on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Moxley getting kicked down again and a Bronco Buster hitting Pac. The chinlock is broken up and Pac hits a dive, allowing the tag off to Moxley. House is quickly cleaned and Moxley wins a slugout with Dean by knocking him into the corner. A double DDT drops the Infantry but they come back with an enziguri into a neckbreaker. Moxley raises his knees to block a splash and even Shafir gets in a shot in the corner. Pac hits a big clothesline and the Death Rider finishes Bravo at 11:10.

Rating: B-. The Death Riders continue to be confusing, as they are heels a lot of the time but here they might as well have been the 1986 Rock N Roll Express. The fans were certainly into them as they love Moxley, but it’s a little weird to see Kenny Omega act like they’re evil incarnate on Dynamite and then have them do this kind of a match a few days later. That being said, the Infantry continues to look like cannon fodder and not much more, which makes seeing them on Ring Of Honor feel like a bit of a waste of time.

Also a sidenote: Taylor was rather good on commentary. If he puts in some practice, he might have a future there as he has a clear voice and the experience to fit in as a veteran.

The Triangle Of Madness is happy that Thekla retained the title but Skye Blue is coming for the Women’s Title. Or they’re just tricking us and everything is fine.

Lio Rush, with an umbrella, scares the Conglomeration.

Here are the Dogs to throw out disposable cameras for their Five Second Pose because Alabama is too stupid to use smart phones. The pose is GUNNS DOWN but a certain team cuts them off.

The Dogs vs. The Gunns

The rest of the Bang Bang Gang is here with the Gunns and Jon Moxley is on commentary. Colten shoulders Finlay down to start and it’s off to Austin for an elbow to the face. Austin slugs away at Connors and hits a jumping Downward Spiral before dropping Finlay as well. We take a break and come back with Austin in trouble, including the Dogs putting a Polaroid on his head.

That just fires Austin up so Colten can come back in and clean house. That doesn’t last long as it’s a double suplex to send him flying, leaving Clark surprised at the kickout. The Dogs miss a high/low and the real hot tag brings Austin back in. They all forearm it out and then knock each other down, with Finlay chop blocking Colten. A shillelagh to the jaw knocks Austin silly and the spear gives Connors the win at 10:43.

Rating: C+. That’s a surprising result as you might think you would want to reestablish the Gunns a bit after they’ve been apart for so long. The team still looks good, but the Dogs are a bigger deal at the moment and this was more about making them stronger. At least I can tell the Gunns apart now so thank goodness for different hair (which they probably had before).

Post match the Dogs stay on them but the rest of the Bang Bang Gang run in for the save.

Video on Kevin Knight vs. Mike Bailey.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

The TBS Title will be decided in a Survival Of The Fittest (or possibly fitness according to Schiavone), a six woman elimination match, taking place on July 1. Qualifying matches will take place in the coming weeks.

Don Callis Family vs. Jimmy Wild/Tommy Mars

It’s Brian Cage/Jake Doyle for the Family as Nigel pops Moxley by saying Mars is substituting for Wild’s normal partner, Johnny Wet. The Drill Claw and a sitout powerbomb finish for the Family at 1:31. Total squash.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out for the main event and Doyle/Cage have to be held back from him.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Daniel Garcia

Takeshita is defending. Garcia pulls him down into a headscissors but Takeshita escapes and glares on his way up. Takeshita kicks away as even Moxley admits Takeshita is going to give you a beating no matter who you are. Garcia bails outside so Takeshita follows him to keep up the fight. They start to get back inside but Garcia hits a dragon screw legwhip (Moxley approves) as we take a break.

We come back with Shafir on commentary now and suggesting Garcia use his toe. Takeshita uses a wheelbarrow suplex to escape an ankle lock as Moxley takes Shafir’s place (Schiavone: “You know you just gave your headset to a crazy woman?”). Garcia gets an STF, followed by a piledriver, which just wakes Takeshita up. A running knee knocks Garcia silly but he chops Takeshita down to block another running knee.

They slug it out until Takeshita gets two off a Blue Thunder Bomb. The knee gives out though and Garcia hits a Stomp before taking him up top. Takeshita tries a top rope clothesline but gets pulled into the Dragontamer. That’s broken up as well and Takeshita hits a heck of a wheelbarrow suplex. The Raging Fire retains the title at 16:33.

Rating: B+. This got intense and as usual, Moxley added a lot on commentary as he comes off like the biggest fan in the world. That’s always going to help as he just adds an energy to any match he’s calling. Garcia winning the title was never a realistic ending, but that wasn’t exactly the point here. They beat each other up and I had fun watching them do it so I’ll take it.

Post match even Moxley appreciates the match but the Don Callis Family comes in to jump Takeshita. Moxley gets up to help but Shane Taylor Promotions jumps him as well. This brings out the Conglomeration to get in on things and Nigel McGuinness gets in a fight with Shawn Dean. Mike Bailey runs in and the good guys clear the ring.

Takeshita seems to nod a thank you to Moxley and shows respect to Garcia to end the show. This felt like the ending to a house show where the promotion said “oh just send all the good guys out there to beat up all the bad guys and send them home happy”. It might not be the most original idea, but I’ve seen worse.

Overall Rating: B. As absolutely sick as I am of Tony Khan produced wrestling after 12 hours of it in a week, this was a pretty nice midcard heavy show. I liked the rotating commentators deal as it added some flavor to the matches and kept things moving. This wasn’t exactly must see stuff, but it felt different enough to make things a bit different than usual, which was rather appreciated.

Results
Conglomeration b. Don Callis Family – Top rope elbow to Romero
Tay Melo/Anna Jay vs. Megan Bayne/Lena Kross went to a time limit draw
Hazuki b. Maya World – Top rope backsplash
Lee Moriarty b. Tim Bosby – Border City Stretch
Death Riders b. The Infantry – Death Rider to Bravo
The Dogs b. The Gunns – Spear to Austin
Don Callis Family b. Jimmy Wild/Tommy Mars – Sitout powerbomb to Mars
Konosuke Takeshita b. Daniel Garcia – Raging Fire

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6




Ring Of Honor – April 23, 2026: Sync Up

Ring Of Honor
Date: April 23, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Last week was a big one as we actually had some qualifying matches for Supercard Of Honor. The show is in less than a month and I’m wondering what we’re going to get on the way there. Multiple title matches are already set and that’s a bit out of the ordinary for this place. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Brandon Cutler/Angelica Risk/Terry Kid vs. Premiere Athletes

Denali and Risk start things off, with only about a foot of size difference. Risk gets pulled down with ease and forearmed in the corner, followed by the knees to the ribs. It’s quickly off to Cutler to strike away on Daivari, including a springboard crossbody. The men fight out to the floor, leaving Denali to chokeslam Risk for the pin at 2:35. Of all of the Athletes’ six person tags that I’ve seen, this was the most recent.

Mark Davis vs. Beef

Beef grabs a headlock to start and knocks Davis out to the floor with a running shoulder. Davis fires off the chops and knocks Beef off the apron, where he sits on Beef’s chest for a unique crash. Back in and Davis chops away some more but Beef scores with a dropkick. Beef strikes away, only to charge into a German suplex.

The big clothesline puts Davis down again but he catches Beef on top with a superplex. The running forearm connects in the corner for two but Beef reverses the piledriver attempt into a rollup for two of his own. Davis chops him down but still can’t hit the piledriver, allowing Beef to hit a belly to back suplex. The Swan Dive misses though and Davis hits a big clothesline for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C+. So to recap: last night on Dynamite, Davis beat Will Ospreay, the resident AEW superhero, but here he went move for move with freaking BEEF and couldn’t even hit his finisher. Now in theory, since this show is taped in advance and this match advances nothing for either of them, one might think it could have been cut or aired at another time, but nah. Instead it NEEDED to air here because no one pays attention to this show so doing something dumb is fine.

We look at Johnny TV losing his hair in CMLL about two months ago. He’s appeared without his hair in ROH since then so….why are we seeing this?

MxM TV vs. Main Man Oro/Keagan Garland/Angel Fashion

Garland is the son of Scotty 2 Hotty. Fashion and TV start things off with the latter knocking Fashion into the corner to hammer away. Oro comes in to kick Mansoor in the head and Garland comes in to run the ropes. A Hart Attack (leg lariat version) puts Garland down, with Mansoor yelling that he just beat up Scotty’s son. An Alabama slam lets the villains pose but Fashion and Oro break it up.

Garland pounds on Madden in the corner but Madden walks out to hit a powerbomb/double chokeslam at the other two (ok that was nice). TV hits a suicide dive onto all of them but Garland ducks the Flying Chuck. The Worm almost connects but Madden cuts it off at the last second. The Glossy Centerfold finishes Garland at 3:58.

Rating: C. I was worried this was going to go even longer but this was more “hey Scotty 2 Hotty’s son is wrestling”, which was a nice little bonus. You can definitely see the resemblance and while it’s too early to tell how it’s going to go, it’s nice to see Garland getting a shot. Other than that, MxM TV is exactly what they have always been.

We look back at Lee Moriarty beating Marshall Von Erich to retain the Pure Wrestling Title last week.

Caprice Coleman sits down with Moriarty and asks him about being all honorable and then part of Shane Taylor Promotions. Moriarty says he’s the best Pure Wrestler in the world and it’s him being himself. He and Shane Taylor won’t always get along but they work well together. Moriarty is also apparently a talented painter and says it’s similar to being an artist in the ring.

On one hand, I definitely do appreciate these interviews as ANYTHING giving these people some more personality is a good idea, but my goodness maybe build up some people to take the title from him? Or just drop the title altogether because it stopped feeling important years ago?

Diamante vs. Rachael Ellering

Pure Rules. They fight over wrist continue to start and the threat of a Fujiwara armbar sends Ellering straight to the rope. An ankle lock sends Ellering to the ropes again so Diamante starts working on the leg (why Ellering being in the corner doesn’t count as a rope break isn’t clear). Another ankle lock means Ellering is out of rope breaks but she comes back with a big clothesline. Diamante is right back with a top rope double stomp to the back, setting up another ankle lock to make Ellering tap at 5:34.

Rating: C-. Yeah wow that was thrilling. Someone burned off their rope breaks and then gave up. This felt like someone playing No Mercy and wanting to get through Championship Mode while using the same hold to get a submission. That might make for a logical path and match under these rules, but dang it doesn’t make for much in the way of excitement.

Frat House vs. Colons/Spanish Announce Project

Orlando backs Garrison into the corner and it’s off to Eddie for a quick dropkick. It’s off to Karter, who gets hit with a slingshot crossbody into a backbreaker. Angelico comes in to hiptoss Serpentico onto Karter but he knocks Serpentico into the corner to take over. Garrison grabs a suplex DDT on Serpentico but misses a top rope backsplash (making him lose his hat).

Serpentico Dudley Dogs Vance and Angelico comes back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Garrison’s torture rack powerbomb gets two. Coleman says that he’s finishes a lot of people with that move. I’d love for Coleman to name say….three. Angelico and Serpentico get stereo holds on Jameson and Vance for the double tap at 7:25.

Rating: C+. This was a very Ring Of Honor match, as it featured people who pretty much don’t work on any other shows in any meaningful ways and wrestled the same match they have almost every time they’re on this show. None of these wrestlers have moved up or down the card in months and that is likely going to be there case for the next several months. The match was perfectly acceptable wrestling but it changes nothing. The problem with Ring Of Honor is that a lot of their shows are comprised of that exact same kind of match. It can get exhausting in a hurry and that is definitely happening here.

Billie Starkz vs. Hyan

They fight over a test of strength to start and Starkz bites her hand to escape. Starkz misses a charge though and gets knocked to the floor, where she sends Hyan crashing into the barricade. Back in and Starkz strikes away in the corner, though Hyan does manage a sunset flip for two.

A belly to back suplex gets two more and Hyan takes her up top for a superplex, followed by a falcon arrow for the same. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence for two each until Starkz Alabama Slams her into the corner. The Swanton only gives Starkz two as she pulls Hyan up. Instead it’s the pancake to finish Hyan at 9:15.

Rating: B-. Hyan has come a long way since her debut around here and it’s nice to see someone developed like that. At the same time, it was nice to see Starkz get a win, even if she is still only so much of a star. Granted a lot of that is due to having Athena dominate the division for such a long time and making everyone else look secondary.

Survival Of The Fittest rundown.

Swirl vs. Adam Priest/Tommy Billington

Tornado Tag and at least this has been a feud for a good while now. It’s a brawl to start fast with Johnson getting slammed on the floor and Christian, still in his robe, getting beaten up inside. The Swirl fights back by sending Priest into the steps, allowing Christian to hit a Blockbuster off the steps.

Back in and Billington gets double teamed, including in the Tree Of Woe. Priest is knocked to the floor again and Billington gets beaten down in the corner again. A chair is brought in and a running shot to the head knocks Billington silly for two. Billington fights back though and manages to load Johnson up in a Tombstone, with Priest coming off the top to spike him down (with a sick sound) for two.

Christian’s handspring kick to the face hits Johnson for two and Priest drops Johnson with a DDT. They go to the corner for a Tower Of Doom with a super Spanish Fly off the top for an even bigger crash. The Swirl wins a chop off but Priest clotheslines both of them down. The top rope elbow only hits chair though and the top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination finishes Priest (Johnson gets the pin of course) at 12:03.

Rating: B. This was by far the best match on the show and it felt like it was the culmination of a big feud. It also boosts up the Swirl as a team, which is a good idea. Of course it isn’t as good of an idea as having Christian wrestling some singles matches (he hasn’t had one since December) to build him up for his World Title match in less than a month or talking about it or something. But insert complaints about Ring Of Honor being a disaster here.

Overall Rating: C+. While it’s hardly a big surprise, it’s becoming more and more obvious that this stuff is thrown together with the important matches being added later. That’s fine enough, but it also feels like the regular matches are made without any connection to the bigger matches. It makes these shows very frustrating as the wrestling is fine, but it feels completely disconnected from what is being talked about and promoted. In other words, PUT SOME EFFORT INTO THIS THING ALREADY!

Results
Premiere Athlete b. Brandon Cutler/Angelica Risk/Terry Kid – Chokeslam to Risk
Mark Davis b. Beef – Clothesline
MxM TV b. Main Man Oro/Keagan Garland/Angel Fashion – Glossy Centerfold to Garland
Diamante b. Rachael Ellering – Ankle lock
Colons/Spanish Announce Project b. Frat House – Double submission
Billie Starkz b. Hyan – Pancake
Swirl b. Tommy Billington/Adam Priest – Top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver to Priest

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor – March 12, 2026: Why Should I Care?

Ring Of Honor
Date: March 12, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re onto the second week in the studio this time and hopefully the show has a bit more of a chance to breathe this week. If nothing else, there are some titles on the line this time, with the Pure and Tag Team Titles being defended. There are also some Proving Ground matches, which I guess count for something. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Deonna Purrazzo talks about Athena trying to teach her a lesson and it hasn’t worked. She’s ready to face Billie Starkz next week in pure rules (implying the title is on the line) but tonight, Athena needs to worry about Maya World.

Athena vs. Maya World

Non-title Proving Ground match. Athena knocks her hard into the corner and shouts a lot but World gets in a spinning kick to the ribs. They head outside where World kicks her in the face but Athena fires off some kicks of her own back inside (nice mirroring of the counters there). World shrugs off some choking and fires off the forearms, only to get clotheslined out to the floor.

The ensuing dive connects for Athena, who drops her off the steps. Back in and the cravate goes on, followed by a chinlock, which is reversed into a rollup for two. Some rollups give World two so Athena hits her in the face as we have two minutes left. The O Face is broken up and World hits a spinning Falcon Arrow for two more. We have less than thirty seconds to go and World gives her a faceplant for two as time expires at 10:00.

Rating: B-. Well, at least Athena is going to have to defend the belt, which hasn’t been done since December. World might not seem like the biggest threat to the title but she’s certainly better than having no challenger. They had a good match here and the time flew by, mainly due to how well they pulled me into things. Nice job.

Women’s TV Title: Hyan vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and they go to the grappling to start. A pump kick drops Velvet for two but she’s right back with a boot of her own for two of the same. Some rollups give Velvet two but she gets knocked into the corner for a running knee. Hyan’s Falcon Arrow gets two so she tries a tiger suplex, which is countered into a rollup to give Velvet two more. That’s enough for Velvet as she nails a spinning kick to the head to retain at 5:11.

Rating: C+. That kick looked great as Velvet absolutely blasted her. Hyan and Maya World seem to be the fresh blood in the division and that is not a bad thing at all as it could certainly use the help. At the same time, Velvet has been doing rather well lately and deserves a lot of credit for her rapid improvement.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Aaron Solo/Nick Comoroto/QT Marshall

Non-title Proving Ground match because these titles just aren’t defended these days. The champs jump them to start but Bravo gets caught in the corner for some running shots. Solo gets tripped from the floor though and a shot to the back of the head has him down on the apron. The Promotions get to pose a bit and it’s back to Bravo for a springboard Vader Bomb.

Bravo starts stomping on the ankle and Bronco Buster gets two. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a slingshot spear to keep Solo in trouble. Something like a Demolition Decapitator gets two more but Solo is back with that always stupid looking counter where someone DDTs their own partner, allowing the tag off to Marshall.

Everything breaks down and the Promotions mock Big Boom AJ (there’s a Revolution Zero Hour match), only to get caught with a springboard double Stunner. Taylor and Comoroto come in for the big man trade of shoulders before they knock down the other four with clotheslines. Comoroto slams Taylor for two and a double clothesline drops Bravo and Dean as we’re already past the ten minute time limit but oh well. Taylor punches Comoroto down and the double stomp finishes at 10:47.

Rating: C. I mean, the titles mean nothing so why bother keeping track of the time either? It’s not like they were calling the time or anything, so this was basically just a six man tag, which makes me wonder why they didn’t bother just making it a title match. The match was a long stretch of heat on Solo until Comoroto come in to do his big brawl with Taylor. Either way, it’s just more proof that these titles do not need to exist as Ring Of Honor can’t even bother following their own internal rules for finding challengers. Oh and thank goodness they let Comoroto look like a monster and then pin him when Solo was available.

Tag Team Titles: La Faccion Ingobernable vs. ???

La Faccion is defending in an open challenge (because winning tag matches around here means nothing) against any former Tag Team Champions. In this case that would be….the Colons, who were champions in WWE a cool thirteen years ago. Mortos, in his torn up suit, hands it off to Guevara to start with Eddie, but we’ll bring Mortos back in. Eddie gets tired of waiting and rolls Mortos up for two, followed by a double dropkick.

Orlando gets knocked down as we talk about the history of wrestling in Puerto Rico. Guevara doesn’t want to tag in so the champions go to the floor, where it’s a double dive to take them down. Back in and Mortos takes over on Orlando, with Guevara now willing to come in for a delayed suplex.

Orlando gets sent into the corner but manages a reversal, with Guevara accidentally powerslamming Mortos. Guevara is fine enough to hit a middle rope cutter for two on Orlando but the GTH is countered into a Downward Spiral for two. Eddie comes back in to clean house until he gets crotched on top. Mortos’ pop up Samoan drop finishes at 8:11.

Rating: C. The only thing that came into my mind here was how little Ring Of Honor seems to care about these titles. Since the start of 2025, they’ve been defended eight times total, often in random one off matches like this one. I have no idea why that is the best way to go, but at least we got the Colons. No not the biggest star in Carlito, but those other two! What a big deal!

Premiere Athletes vs. Angelica Risk/Mark Davidson/Parker Li

Davidson and Daivari trade wristlocks to start and it’s off to Denali, with Davidson crossing himself in fear. Denali drops Risk face first onto the turnbuckle and it’s off to Nese, who strikes away at Li. Everything breaks down and Denali chokeslams Risk for the pin at 2:30.

Jay Lethal and the Swirl want the World Title.

Scorpio Sky vs. Bryan Keith

Feeling out process to start with Sky taking him down for a stomp onto the arm. The armbar goes on for a bit until Sky switches over to the leg. Back up and Sky is knocked outside before being chopped down on the apron. Keith suplexes him for two before chopping Sky out to the floor again. Sky is able to come back with some running shots to the face, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two. Back up and Keith scores with a running headbutt, only to walk into a TKO for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a wrestling match between two middle of the road stars. They’re both talented stars but neither of them are doing a single thing right now. Thankfully we didn’t hear about how this could put one of them into title contention because, well….well because it’s Ring Of Honor.

Post match Big Bill and the Grizzled Young Veterans run in to lay out Sky and Christopher Daniels.

Nick Wayne is defending the TV Title against Komander next week. Well that’s nice of him.

We look at Lee Moriarty retaining the Pure Title over Josh Woods back in September. This sets up the rematch, because it’s not like there is anyone else to come after the title.

Pure Title: Josh Woods vs. Lee Moriarty

Moriarty is defending. They go with the grappling to start and Moriarty grabs a headscissors. Woods reverses into a headlock before rolling some German suplexes. That’s enough for Moriarty to go to the ropes for his first break so Woods grabs an ankle twist. Woods slams the knee into the mat and Moriarty has to use his second rope break. Moriarty starts working on the hand, with an armbar sending Woods over to the ropes for his first break.

A reverse Koji Clutch goes on, with Woods using another break to even things up. Back up and they trade forearms and big boots for a double down. Moriarty gets sent to the apron so he comes back in with a springboard forearm. The Border City Stretch makes Woods use his third rope break so Woods is back with a running knee. A one knee Codebreaker gets two and an armbar makes Moriarty use his last break. Moriarty comes back with a leg lariat for the pin at 11:19, with Woods’ grab of the rope meaning nothing.

Rating: B-. It was fine, as is often the case with everything Moriarty does. At the same time, it’s another match that went pretty much the same way as every Moriarty match. It doesn’t help that the process for getting a title shot seems to be “win a Pure Rules match” and that’s about all. Moriarty has held the title for the better part of ever anyway and this was just another successful defense.

Overall Rating: C. This was another good example of what’s wrong with Ring Of Honor, as outside of a few things, it feels like a lot of the show is thrown together. Title matches are thrown out almost at random and you have things like the Proving Ground match going too long and it just being a thing that happened. The wrestling is fine but there is almost no reason to pay attention to anything around here because if Ring Of Honor doesn’t care, there’s no reason for fans to care.

Results
Athena vs. Maya World went to a time limit draw
Red Velvet b. Hyan – Spinning kick to the head
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Nick Comoroto/QT Marshall/Aaron Solo – Double stomp to Comoroto
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Colons – Pop up Samoan drop to Eddie
Premiere Athletes b. Angelica Risk/Mark Davidson/Parker Li – Chokeslam to Risk
Scorpio Sky b. Bryan Keith – TKO
Lee Moriarty b. Josh Woods – Leg lariat

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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